Funny guy! And helpful. Good straight talk and usable stuff. I'm an old grandpa who's been practicing for about 40 years and still practicing. Yet I still learned something while being entertained in a perverse sort of way. ;)
I've always avoided barre chords because i've never had a proper lesson on them, and figuring it out by myself wasn't working. This video saved my time and hands! Thanks!!!!
As a guitarist who has been playing for years its good to come back and watch these videos as I've noticed with certain techniques you suggest I've already been using them but without even realizing, i just naturally learnt the right/best/easiest way of doing something, and in other cases I'm gone uhuh... thats useful (not sarcastically). great videos man proves that no matter how long you've been playing guitar you can still learn something new or improve something.
12:27 "I've seen nosebleeds. I've seen kids forsake their own god and swear allegiance to the dark lord. I've even had this one kid who's testicles ascended..back into his body." HAHAH.
great lesson i love how you take time to explain each part of chords since i followed your tips for power chords. I improved so much more thanks so much
I think allot of the techniques that are used for muting were covered in the sweep picking lesson. It covers right and left hand technique and a "special" emptying and filling tequique. A video just for muting would be awesome though, but in the meanwhile definitely check the sweep picking lesson out PS:There may be muting tips on the other lessons too
theSomeguyatwork Yeah. I've watched all his videos. And seen the muting techniques. I just thought it would be a good idea to put them all in one place. And see if uncle Ben had some other gems. Plus I think a proper palm mute lesson will help many starting suck-a-maniacs while also helping more advanced players "clean up". Although the latter can be found in various videos.
I added that pressure when writing a new song the bar chords were way up the neck and recording different takes my hand would ache terrible and seeing your video I know that's what I was doing too much pressure with the thumb...Great tip, now I got to try and not do that after playing this way so long. Thanks very helpful!!
man your lessons are soooo good. i hope you are still posting. i subbed and liked. hope your make more money so you can get better production quality in vids too. god bless you
Ben, you are a fucking revelation. I've been struggling with barres for a couple weeks now but the way you explain and give tips made them so much easier I cant even believe it. Thank you! I also love your shirt.
Excellent presentation , where the hell was Odin when I was learning Barre Chords. I sat in a bloody puddle of my own body waste while he ,Odin, was obviously hanging out with those hot Norwegian babe's, being that I am Norwegian, he left me to figure it out on my own. Yes it took me 3 years to figure out what you just explained in 30 minutes. Well I'm an old bastard now and play pretty dam good. But the chick's and money never showed. So my right forearm kept up with my left while I strengthened my left side by what you called mashing. On a cool note I can crush a melon with my fret hand now. Any tips for precision picking double stops, I can cross pick really well but miss or drag strings that don't belong more often than I like. If you have some good tips I can quit sacrificing virgins to the guitar gods for better precision. And use the virgins for other stuff. Like waxing my Van or mowing the lawn? Plus all the neiborhood virgins don't end up on the side of a milk carton. The cops are on to my antics. Plus the bonfires keep drawing the local volunteer fire brigade. I tell them another BBQ got out of hand. They really are idiots. So what about that picking precision that I Seek? Thanks for the vids I will start to look for the needed ingredients to be a 5 star shredder , like yourself, and rifle your library of vast knowledge and see what else I find. Rock on Garth...
very intelligent guitar player nice teaching on the bar been playing 12 years started acoustic folk tunes then got electric and got into metal and atmospheric melodic playing thanks for the okay sign lesson again I think that was genius because it never crossed my mind,thanks.
Bro, your channel is one of the best guitar related youtube channels I've ever seen. You teach stuff that are very essential that I never seen any other youtuber to. Mad props!
Wow! This vid came up in my home feed. Best lesson on Barre chords ever. The idea of pinching low (with the thumb), for an F chord, made an immediate improvement for me. Pretty funny, too. Sub'd.
I don't even know how I came across this video. You are so right! Barre chords were always what I hated most and thought I just would never get it but things might change after all these great tips you have taught in this video. Gives me hope and knowledge how to really relate to accomplishing this dastardly part of guitar: the dreaded Barre chords! Thanks, very thorough, and entertaining (which helps a lot - let's not take ourselves too seriously!) I will definitely put your ideas into action and watch some of your other videos!
Your linguistic skills are just as good as your guitar skills and no longer are my barres weak and placid. Thanks to your entertaining and informative video my barres are solid and please a crowd. Cheers 👍
good tips bro, i been playing for a while never really had any lessons kinda thought my self through out the years and have developed a sore left hand and it probably because i use to much pressure from my thumb so that was great to hear thanks for that !
the cinematic mastermind of Uncle Ben Eller should not be understated the bottles laying on the floor during the First-Person shot of the guitar around the 20:30 mark of the video is a textbook example of environmental storytelling. These videos are timeless, honestly.
Awesome awesome awesome man! I've been struggling for over a couple of months now over the F major chord, this video made a lot of difference, but there was one thing i was doing wrong - i don't know if this applies to everyone else too or just my hand, but PRESSING MY THUMB AGAINST MY SECOND (MIDDLE) FINGER INSTEAD OF MY FIRST (POINTER) FINGER MADE THAT FINAL DIFFERENCE FOR ME. Just wanted to let you know, may be it helps someone else. Thanks again. You and your style are so freaking amazing!!
You did an absolutely excellent job explaining how to do barre chords with awesome humor and sharp wit...but are there really people out there that don't know how to do this? I figured it out on my own and just assumed it was a natural that you'd flatten your fingers to get the barre chords. I mean that's the only way you can get them to sound right and it just FEELs like the right thing to do. Idk maybe I'm crazy.
Uncle Ben, I dig your lessons. Can you make a video on moving barre chords quickly, like in the bridge sections of Fade to Black, Metallica, etc. Thanks!
Pretty much figured all this out myself when I first started, so I didn't need to learn any of this... But I watched the video, and you are funny as hell! haha Quite entertaining, indeed.
I started playing about 5 years ago and came across your video I was struggling with bar chords and trying to learn stairway to heaven somehow my Google searches led me to you. Anyway five years later I still suck but I have a lot more fun and remembered your video for some reason cannot get rid of that shrimp finger I've tried everything
Now I see why I suck at barre chords. I can see I'll need to work through a lot of pain to get the technique right. Do you have any tips about how best to practice?
Ben, great video, i learned a bunch from it. thanks for posting it, . i must say that the guitars hanging on the wall are Awesome, What are they? Cheers, Cousin Figel
SpongeBob: F is for Fuck that, I can't play that chord. B is for oh, Bitch please. I is for I suck at the guitar. Thank you Ben Eller. (Yes, I spelled FBI.)
Good vid. I was hoping you'd give some tips on how to do the B major barre shape, which is a major B to play, both with the three finger A shape and just using the ring finger three string barre A shape. My ring finger doesn't bend backwards like my pointer finger, to be able to hit just the three strings and leave the bottom E open to be barred by the pointer finger
try using two fingers, 3rd fretting the 4th string and 4th fingertip, (not barre) fretting the 3rd and 2nd string. The pad on your fingertip will change shape after a while to cover two strings cleanly, way better than forcing your finger joint to bend backwards.
Ben, I know these video are old, but they're hilarious! After playing for almost 40 years, I'm learning great things from you. Plus, I'm forcing my adolescent kids watch your videos. At least they'll understand there are reasons to celebrate my being their real father.
Thanks, Uncle Ben. I notice that on the full 6 string barres, you place your pointer more near or on the fret rather than midway between frets as I have a tendency to do. Maybe it's a kind of OCD thing in my case. I sometimes have muddy sounding F major barres mostly on the E and B strings.
+unklewink You want to be close to the fret. Fingers directly in the middle of frets require more pressure. I played a long time right in the middle of the frets until someone corrected me. Try playing close to the frets your fingers will thank you as you no longer need as much pressure. Less pressure also allows you to play faster if you are playing scales.
Weirdness... I have been playing 20 years and while I've been barring the power chord octaves, I've been trying to relearn with two fingers.... it sounds tighter because the strings can't move across the fretboard under heavy picking quite as much. I do prefer that lifeless sound of the late 80s EMG tone though.
Wonderful lesson. If you could give me the English language version I would be very grateful. I have never eaten a Camaro but I am told they taste nice. My mother is still teaching me how to '69'. All the best from the 51st State. :)
"F stands for Fuck that" - me for the first 5 years of playing
+Luke Van Epen Love your shirt mate
+Kyle J Tan pretty much
only 5? almost 6 now i guess.... im 14 and have been playing for 8 years. do the math. oh yea.
Holy shit, it's that hard?
Really?
actually i suck at the guitar because i don't have any hands
it's just a joke brah
I got better after I chopped my left index finger through the first knuckle off the palm. Barre chords are a bitch. Creativity makes for roundabouts.
don't be afraid to just use your tongue
I cut off my hand. then i cut off the other
whats wrong in this sentence
DethronerX how did you cut your other hand off if you only have one hand?
I did not need that 69 camaro image oh man hahaha
Ben Eller is hilarious!
it's why dad hits the bars
Thanks from across the pond dude, I've been playing barres for years but got some valuable tips here :-)
Same
Kevin Lambert Are you from China?
love dudes like you who really make learning the guitar fun and relaxed
Funny guy! And helpful. Good straight talk and usable stuff. I'm an old grandpa who's been practicing for about 40 years and still practicing. Yet I still learned something while being entertained in a perverse sort of way. ;)
You are the man. For the first time in my life I heard a clean barre chord come out from my guitar. Thank you so much. Definitely subscribed.
I must say. I've never laughed so much at a tutorial. Best barre chord tutorial by far
"There's probably a better analogy I could use there"
No, you nailed it
I've always avoided barre chords because i've never had a proper lesson on them, and figuring it out by myself wasn't working. This video saved my time and hands! Thanks!!!!
As a guitarist who has been playing for years its good to come back and watch these videos as I've noticed with certain techniques you suggest I've already been using them but without even realizing, i just naturally learnt the right/best/easiest way of doing something, and in other cases I'm gone uhuh... thats useful (not sarcastically). great videos man proves that no matter how long you've been playing guitar you can still learn something new or improve something.
12:27 "I've seen nosebleeds. I've seen kids forsake their own god and swear allegiance to the dark lord. I've even had this one kid who's testicles ascended..back into his body."
HAHAH.
great lesson i love how you take time to explain each part of chords since i followed your tips for power chords. I improved so much more thanks so much
"Your muting sucks"? Would help a lot of people
I think allot of the techniques that are used for muting were covered in the sweep picking lesson. It covers right and left hand technique and a "special" emptying and filling tequique. A video just for muting would be awesome though, but in the meanwhile definitely check the sweep picking lesson out PS:There may be muting tips on the other lessons too
No doubt, muting is the secret of the stars!!!
Nonsense Poopypants You could also watch "This is Why You Suck at Guitar, Lesson 3: Your Power Chords Suck"
theSomeguyatwork Yeah. I've watched all his videos. And seen the muting techniques. I just thought it would be a good idea to put them all in one place. And see if uncle Ben had some other gems. Plus I think a proper palm mute lesson will help many starting suck-a-maniacs while also helping more advanced players "clean up". Although the latter can be found in various videos.
I added that pressure when writing a new song the bar chords were way up the neck and recording different takes my hand would ache terrible and seeing your video I know that's what I was doing too much pressure with the thumb...Great tip, now I got to try and not do that after playing this way so long. Thanks very helpful!!
man your lessons are soooo good. i hope you are still posting. i subbed and liked. hope your make more money so you can get better production quality in vids too. god bless you
Ben, you are a fucking revelation. I've been struggling with barres for a couple weeks now but the way you explain and give tips made them so much easier I cant even believe it. Thank you! I also love your shirt.
Excellent presentation , where the hell was Odin when I was learning Barre Chords. I sat in a bloody puddle of my own body waste while he ,Odin, was obviously hanging out with those hot Norwegian babe's, being that I am Norwegian, he left me to figure it out on my own. Yes it took me 3 years to figure out what you just explained in 30 minutes. Well I'm an old bastard now and play pretty dam good. But the chick's and money never showed. So my right forearm kept up with my left while I strengthened my left side by what you called mashing. On a cool note I can crush a melon with my fret hand now. Any tips for precision picking double stops, I can cross pick really well but miss or drag strings that don't belong more often than I like. If you have some good tips I can quit sacrificing virgins to the guitar gods for better precision. And use the virgins for other stuff. Like waxing my Van or mowing the lawn? Plus all the neiborhood virgins don't end up on the side of a milk carton. The cops are on to my antics. Plus the bonfires keep drawing the local volunteer fire brigade. I tell them another BBQ got out of hand. They really are idiots. So what about that picking precision that I Seek? Thanks for the vids I will start to look for the needed ingredients to be a 5 star shredder , like yourself, and rifle your library of vast knowledge and see what else I find. Rock on Garth...
This comment deserves not only a like but a reply, too! :-D
very intelligent guitar player nice teaching on the bar been playing 12 years started acoustic folk tunes then got electric and got into metal and atmospheric melodic playing thanks for the okay sign lesson again I think that was genius because it never crossed my mind,thanks.
"I wanna give you a good reverse cowgirl angle on this too" LMFAO
This is the best video I have ever watched on how to play barre chords. Thank you.
"Most people won't have a problem with that...unless you have little teeny tiny carny hands." Dud you are hilarious
Yeah it's hilarious... unless you have little teeny tiny carny hands T.T
Thanks Ben mate, love your style, certainly helped me with my Barre room chords.
Bro, your channel is one of the best guitar related youtube channels I've ever seen. You teach stuff that are very essential that I never seen any other youtuber to. Mad props!
Wow! This vid came up in my home feed. Best lesson on Barre chords ever. The idea of pinching low (with the thumb), for an F chord, made an immediate improvement for me. Pretty funny, too. Sub'd.
I don't even know how I came across this video. You are so right! Barre chords were always what I hated most and thought I just would never get it but things might change after all these great tips you have taught in this video. Gives me hope and knowledge how to really relate to accomplishing this dastardly part of guitar: the dreaded Barre chords! Thanks, very thorough, and entertaining (which helps a lot - let's not take ourselves too seriously!)
I will definitely put your ideas into action and watch some of your other videos!
Your linguistic skills are just as good as your guitar skills and no longer are my barres weak and placid. Thanks to your entertaining and informative video my barres are solid and please a crowd. Cheers 👍
Great Lesson Ben. Thank you. Love the Classic Rock and Roll Bar chords. TNT, Smoke on the water. Maybe awhile before I can do Thunderstruck!!
good tips bro, i been playing for a while never really had any lessons kinda thought my self through out the years and have developed a sore left hand and it probably because i use to much pressure from my thumb so that was great to hear thanks for that !
Loved this and it really helped. thanks for putting these videos together.
My barre chords suck... But i already knew that.
you just gave me new hope on learning Barre chords I'm try this out
Nice lesson man. Are you sponsored by Ibanez, or just like them? ;)
I am just a huge fan of these dang things!
Dig the color of your guitar and that green one on the wall behind you is a beauty! :)
I like your video and your art dude,fuck the haters,don't see them making videos for free and helping out people
@10:59 I'm supposed to do what with my elbow? Clearly inappropriate.
That helped me out. The bit about the thumb being lower down on the neck did it for me :]
Thanks Ben, best explanation for barr chords yet
the cinematic mastermind of Uncle Ben Eller should not be understated
the bottles laying on the floor during the First-Person shot of the guitar around the 20:30 mark of the video is a textbook example of environmental storytelling.
These videos are timeless, honestly.
Oh man. Absolutely fantastic. You really helped me. Thanks so much.
This is amazing stuff for beginners and long time players alike!!! subscribed and liked
exactly the teacher I wish I had had. Great way to point things out. very cool vid.
thanks bro out of all the videos i been looking at urs wass the most helpful full of details and funny af
Awesome awesome awesome man! I've been struggling for over a couple of months now over the F major chord, this video made a lot of difference, but there was one thing i was doing wrong - i don't know if this applies to everyone else too or just my hand, but PRESSING MY THUMB AGAINST MY SECOND (MIDDLE) FINGER INSTEAD OF MY FIRST (POINTER) FINGER MADE THAT FINAL DIFFERENCE FOR ME. Just wanted to let you know, may be it helps someone else. Thanks again. You and your style are so freaking amazing!!
Thankyou Ben. This was well explained and very helpful.
I fucking love the little gags you put in your videos, like the bottles of booze on the floor when you were showing where your thumb goes.
Nice vid for newbs. I kinda wish I had watched way back then...finger looking "like a shrip" and "Spririt of Odin" gave me a good chucke...suscribed
holy shit i almost died at that dad bar joke
Thanks for the 2-string barre technique! I never thought of doing that. I was one of those 2-finger guys until now ;)
my bar chords do suck, but your examples of bad bars make me feel better about myself
I have uttered those words while trying to get the F and B chords so many times. It was funny hearing what I always say being said back to me.
Ben, thank you for the instructional video and comedy relief...man you had me rolling...you are f'ing funny!
I thought I'd tell you that I enjoy your videos more than stand-up comedy. You're a f**king genius! I'd watch this even if my barre chords didn't suck
Wow! Insight, detail and clarity.
You did an absolutely excellent job explaining how to do barre chords with awesome humor and sharp wit...but are there really people out there that don't know how to do this? I figured it out on my own and just assumed it was a natural that you'd flatten your fingers to get the barre chords. I mean that's the only way you can get them to sound right and it just FEELs like the right thing to do. Idk maybe I'm crazy.
Uncle Ben, I dig your lessons. Can you make a video on moving barre chords quickly, like in the bridge sections of Fade to Black, Metallica, etc. Thanks!
“Bars are more than just a place your dad goes to drink away his disappointment in you”
Best joke ever! Or is it?? 😆
youre a big help,dude. keep making videos.
Great video. Now I know why the muscles between my first finger and my thumb hurt as hell...
A lot of useful tips. And by the way I cracked up with your jokes. Thanks for the effort you put into these vids.
I like your dog. Some of them dang guitar books make chords seem so hard. Thanks again .
I like your style. This video is both helpful and entertaining. +1 subscriber.
Wish you had been around when I was 16 for what took years to learn all these tricks for barre chords.
"you see jimmy, whenever i'm saronating you're step mom" That perfect delivery had me in hysterics! haha
The commentary alone makes this the best video fucking ever.
"Alright, I'm gonna mash it"
Love your humor. "Shredi Knight" "The ghost of John Bonham" "Pissed myself and forgot who I was".. Great instruction!
Pretty much figured all this out myself when I first started, so I didn't need to learn any of this... But I watched the video, and you are funny as hell! haha Quite entertaining, indeed.
I love the beginning!
I started playing about 5 years ago and came across your video I was struggling with bar chords and trying to learn stairway to heaven somehow my Google searches led me to you. Anyway five years later I still suck but I have a lot more fun and remembered your video for some reason cannot get rid of that shrimp finger I've tried everything
Now I see why I suck at barre chords. I can see I'll need to work through a lot of pain to get the technique right. Do you have any tips about how best to practice?
You're an Amazing teacher!!
Great lessons!! Love your humor!!
Ben, great video, i learned a bunch from it. thanks for posting it, . i must say that the guitars hanging on the wall are Awesome, What are they? Cheers, Cousin Figel
SpongeBob:
F is for Fuck that, I can't play that chord.
B is for oh, Bitch please.
I is for I suck at the guitar.
Thank you Ben Eller.
(Yes, I spelled FBI.)
I love your Swirling guitars! Love that painting technique!
I'm old enough to be your dad and yer crackin' me up sonny! Wish my son played the git-fiddle.
2:49 Slash playing the "Welcome to the Jungle" intro after half a bottle of bourbon and a fix.
Good vid. I was hoping you'd give some tips on how to do the B major barre shape, which is a major B to play, both with the three finger A shape and just using the ring finger three string barre A shape. My ring finger doesn't bend backwards like my pointer finger, to be able to hit just the three strings and leave the bottom E open to be barred by the pointer finger
try using two fingers, 3rd fretting the 4th string and 4th fingertip, (not barre) fretting the 3rd and 2nd string. The pad on your fingertip will change shape after a while to cover two strings cleanly, way better than forcing your finger joint to bend backwards.
Ben, I know these video are old, but they're hilarious!
After playing for almost 40 years, I'm learning great things from you.
Plus, I'm forcing my adolescent kids watch your videos. At least they'll understand there are reasons to celebrate my being their real father.
Just one thing,im 65 years old.played 5 string banjo for years,but these new finger calithenics kill my fingers later,but i figure its worth it.
best explanation of this i've ever seen
wow that simple... thank you!
you're hella funny and great at explaining things i think ill subscribe
Barres make me wanna smash my face into the wall, but your Video helps a lot. Thanks for this series! Been playing for four months now :)
Ive found another way to get two strings barred I twist the pad {tip} of my fingers and can get two strings nice even acoustic
Very well executed.
17:25 bwahahaha Reverse Cowgirl angle! great jokes, but even better information.
Thanks, Uncle Ben. I notice that on the full 6 string barres, you place your pointer more near or on the fret rather than midway between frets as I have a tendency to do. Maybe it's a kind of OCD thing in my case. I sometimes have muddy sounding F major barres mostly on the E and B strings.
+unklewink You want to be close to the fret. Fingers directly in the middle of frets require more pressure. I played a long time right in the middle of the frets until someone corrected me. Try playing close to the frets your fingers will thank you as you no longer need as much pressure. Less pressure also allows you to play faster if you are playing scales.
Thanks, negative. I'll give that a try and report back.
Rock on Ben!
liked and subbed. Great video, awesome teaching style.
Dude you rock! Thanks!
Ben, what were the most difficult things while you have been studing guitar? Barre and what kind of stuff also?
Thanks for the “flipper” part. My 6 string bars suck way too often.
You can say it... like my step mom...
Weirdness... I have been playing 20 years and while I've been barring the power chord octaves, I've been trying to relearn with two fingers.... it sounds tighter because the strings can't move across the fretboard under heavy picking quite as much. I do prefer that lifeless sound of the late 80s EMG tone though.
You gotta play the same chords in different ways depending on where you're going next. That's how to not suck.
great title to a great video. thanks
Wow, some really great tips and awesome humor but not even MY barre chords suck as bad as the people you're trying to help.
Thanks Ben ... forgot to say that years back :-)
Excellent lessons.
Wonderful lesson. If you could give me the English language version I would be very grateful. I have never eaten a Camaro but I am told they taste nice. My mother is still teaching me how to '69'. All the best from the 51st State. :)
You sir have earned a subscriber
My grandpa was always on my ass about this since I was like 4. I got good at them.
Dude... you f**kin kill me man! diggin it :)